


Rainbow Umbrella (MSIV)

by JenAndrews



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Drama, F/M, Family, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:01:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21756451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenAndrews/pseuds/JenAndrews
Summary: My take on My Struggle 4. Should be considered a prequel to Snow Boots, but both stand on their own.
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Comments: 11
Kudos: 63





	1. Chapter 1

**Rainbow Umbrella (MSIV)**

****

The water danced and swirled as it drained away, taking with it the contents of this morning’s breakfast. The little nourishment she had so diligently forced into her body, rejected once again. She fell haphazardly backwards onto the bathroom floor, curling herself forward and resting her head against her knees. Her eyes focused on the old tile lying beneath her – cracked and coming undone, much like she felt at this moment.

She felt ill. She’d felt ill for several weeks now. Headaches. Nausea. Vertigo. She had dismissed her symptoms, reckoning that they were the temporary byproduct of a common contagion. Or perhaps instead they were manifested by the post-traumatic stress of seeing her grown child lying in a body bag with a gunshot wound to his head. Those were both plausible and rational reasons for what she had been experiencing.

But as she sat there – for the first time – she forced herself to examine another possibility. An idea that before now she had only allowed to pass through her mind for fleeting moments, before vehemently pushing it away.

She was frightened. She was fearful to hope. She had loved two children before and had them torn so cruelly from her life. Even the vague notion of living through that pain again was enough to trigger another wave of nausea that travelled from her stomach to the back of her throat. Her stomach made no response though, having nothing left to relinquish.

She had found herself in a place of acceptance and had made peace with the next stage of her life. She had embraced the idea that she and Mulder would live out the rest of their lives together, and that that was enough. After so many years doubting and fearing that they wouldn’t come through this separation stronger, or even intact, being with him again felt like it was more than enough. For better or worse he was the one to whom her soul was bound.

Just a week ago she stood next to him on an alter and professed her wish to come home – to him, to _them_ and she vowed silently before God that she would not waiver this time. No matter how difficult it should become, she would not flee again.

It wasn’t possible. It _shouldn’t_ be possible. But she had lived the past twenty-five years of her life standing beside a man who had challenged every belief she had about what was possible. Extreme possibility – that’s what Mulder pursued with passion and relentlessness, and what he often longed to embrace. But would he embrace this as a possibility? Would he still if it became a reality? Would he embrace one more chance at fatherhood if it were offered to him?

At this very moment he was in desperate pursuit of a child that he spent but a few precious hours with. A child whose origins neither of them were certain of, but which Mulder insisted on loving regardless. One which his heart still clung to. One which he now risked his life for.

It was only recently that she had come to understand the full extent of the pain and guilt that he harboured, at having lost William all those years ago.

She recognised that the depression and mental unravelling that drove them apart was due in part to his unresolved feelings of loss and failure. Feelings which he had no outlet to explore and heal. She was the only one he would ever share such intimate details with, and he could not express them to her, for fear of causing her more pain. He believed that revealing his own grief would surely have only added to her guilt and the burden that she carried. He believed that doing so would be unforgivably selfish. He felt ashamed that Scully had to carry the weight of the decision to relinquish William on her own, for he had not been there to protect them. It hurt her to think of it – to know he was left alone in the same prison of empty despair that she had found herself in. So many nights he’d held her, sobbing against his chest, comforting her and lulling her back to sleep, always remaining silent. Never did he speak of his own pain. He shouldered it all, and eventually he had collapsed under the weight.

But his strength was something which she had never doubted. They had found each other again, as they always had. She wanted to believe that their days of being parted from one another were behind them, but an overwhelming feeling of dread had taken hold of her. One which had been mounting for several days and which went into overdrive the moment she had let him walk out the door. She knew there was no stopping him – no convincing him that they would find William another way. But as she’d listened to his car drive away – hearing the sound growing fainter – she could not help but feel she had made a terrible mistake.

Mulder was in danger – she could feel it. Through her visions she sensed the threat to his safety.

It’s difficult to describe what she sees in words. The best she could liken it to was watching a television set underwater. There were muffled sounds, blurred images, fear, confusion, dappled colours and an extreme pain that pierced through both of her temples and radiated through her head. There was emotion connected to the pictures that she saw, but she did not know whose emotions she was feeling. Waves of anger and fear washed against the insides of her mind, but beyond all, it was despair that flooded her insides. The complete abandonment of all hope. It was not the physical pain, but this overwhelming sadness that brought tears to her eyes.

It’s a grief she had experienced before. Her father, her mother, her sister… William… Mulder. For a moment she remembered the day of his funeral, the fresh snow on the ground, and the feeling of dirt between her fingers as she’d spread a handful of earth onto his casket. She remembered the overwhelming grief that crushed her heart and made every breath a struggle until the day he was returned to her. She entertained the idea of history repeating itself – of fate ripping him away before she had the chance to tell him of the child soon to be born.

Her legs slid out and straightened before her and she slipped her hand under her sweatshirt to find the skin of her abdomen. She slid her hands over her belly, feeling for any changes.

“It’s not possible.” She whispered to herself, forbidding herself from entertaining the idea a moment longer. At the same time she knew she must have a physical exam in order to be certain. A drugstore test at the very least would offer her some reassurance.

She climbed to her feet and made her way to the bathroom sink. She grabbed the bottle of mouthwash from the cabinet. Carefully she poured out a capful and swished it around her mouth. She spat it into the sink and rinsed it down the drain.

Scully paused and braced herself against the sink. There was a vision coming, she could sense it in the seconds before the bombardment – before the pain struck – there was a tension mounting in her head.

She was hit with a violent jumble of images, not clear enough to fully decipher. UFO. Truck. Viral contagion. Sadness. Pain. Fear. Grief. Her heart was racing and she was left even more afraid for William and for Mulder.

She felt remorse and frustration at not being by his side, but she’d wondered how much use she would be to him in her current state. The waves of nausea hit suddenly and out of nowhere, and in the past few days had been particularly bad while travelling in a car. Mulder knew she was unwell, which was why he had gone alone. But he could be as reckless as he was stubborn, and knowing that she was not there to keep him safe made her terribly afraid. Mulder was desperate and determined, and she did not underestimate how willingly he would risk his life to get their son back. But she could not live without him.

Being separated from him had given her a taste of what life would be with him gone. Cold and adrift – that’s how she’d felt. She’d found that in leaving, her emptiness and sadness did not abate, it only deprived her of the joy of the warm body of the man who loved her. Something she had only ever been strong enough to go without for a few months at a time, before showing up at their front door. She’d needed to check on him, and needed to know he was alright, but mostly she just needed him. She needed to feel his body against hers – to be reminded that he was still alive and that she was too. His touch grounded and sustained her, enough to make it through a few more weeks or months alone.

They’d always been careful – so incredibly careful when it came to contraception. Although they both believed her to be infertile and that the first pregnancy was some strange miracle, they feared going through that same trauma again. Having another child after surrendering their first because they could not protect him would be unforgivable. It didn’t matter how badly they wanted children, or how much joy it would bring them, they could not risk failing another child. So they had taken every precaution needed. That was up until a few months ago, when she’d climbed into his motel bed.

She had stayed awake in her own quarters for hours, trying to quieten the thoughts playing through her head. The images of Mulder with someone younger, who could give him what she couldn’t. She pictured Mulder cradling a newborn in his arms… happier than she had ever made him. In her mind, there was still a chance for him to be a father, but any opportunity there was for her to be a mother had long passed. She’d rejected his advances, and in doing so pushed him towards that devastating scenario where he moved on from her and built a life with someone else. He would be just in doing so, given the way she was treating him. How was he to know how much she still loved him when she refused to show it?

At 53 years of age and having an absent period for months at a time, it had been an absolute impossibility in her mind. She’d wished though, as he caressed and kissed her uncertainty away – as he thrust inside of her, reminding her that their connection was absolute and inseverable – that there was still time. That she could give him another child. That they could have an ordinary life, free from pain and sadness and alien conspiracy. Beautiful thoughts of what could have been filled her mind as he pulled her close, sleepy and satisfied and comforted by the knowledge that they would always belong to each other.

Scully stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She felt another vision coming, and she braced herself for the pain about to hit, praying silently that this time she would at least garner something useful – something that she could use to help Mulder or William.

It comes – the same as before – but somehow this was vastly different. There was a tension in her head, but there was no terrible pain. These images came just as fast, but much more clearly – the sounds less jumbled. Flowers. Petals. Red curls. Rainbow umbrella. The sound of a little girl’s laughter filled her ears. Mulder’s voice. She saw a small face that looks much like her own did as a child. Instead of grief, she was flooded with joy, warmth and hope. The sensation travelled through her, penetrating every cell in her body.

Scully began to cry, her legs crumbling underneath her. She slid down onto the floor and rested her back against the undercabinet of the sink. She tugged her sweatshirt up, revealing the skin of her belly. Tears of happiness spilled from her eyes as she placed her hand on her abdomen once more.

“Was that you talking, baby girl?” She asked, although she already knew the answer. Her tears turned into overwhelmed sobs, unable to believe she was pregnant with Mulder’s child, but at the same time she knew it to be the absolute truth.

*** 

“He’s gone. He’s gone, Scully. He shot him. He shot _me_.” Said Mulder, before throwing his now empty gun into the dark waters below.

She could hear the desolation in his voice, but as he said the words, she knew they weren’t true. Just as she knew when William’s body had disappeared from the morgue that he was alive – she felt the same way now. Her eyes scanned the water – she knew that he was close. She also knew he had no wish to be found, and so he would not be.

What he wanted was to be free. Free from being hunted or being a danger to anyone – including her. He’d asked her directly to let him go. She felt like he was asking the impossible, since she had held onto him for the past seventeen years. She felt his absence every day, and she knew that Mulder did too. But that was what he wanted. He wasn’t running out of fear _of_ them, but fear _for_ them. Fear of them being killed just like his adoptive parents.

William knew – just as she did – that the smoking man was here waiting for him. She felt sure that William had disguised himself in those last moments not in an effort to protect himself, but to protect Mulder. Care of Tad O’Malley she’d seen footage of the aftermath of what happened during the confrontation at the motel room. William had revealed the incredible power he had to defend himself. Not only could he disguise himself, and sense approaching threats before they arrived, but he could destroy others with his mind.

He’d come to the sugar factory knowing what was going to happen. He’d taken that bullet willingly, to save Mulder and change the future. If he was dead then he couldn’t be used for that which he was created. He’d sacrificed himself, or at least attempted to. The least she could do now was honour his wishes and let him go. Her heart would hold on, but she could leave him be, until the day he would choose to be found.

Scully turned around, witnessing the look of despair on Mulder’s face. She knew immediately from his expression, that that overwhelming sense of hopelessness, grief and pain that flowed through her with every one of her visions… those feelings had been Mulder’s.

He was grieving for a child he had only held once, and who he likely had no biological attachment to. He’d shouldered seventeen years of guilt and regret, believing they had lost their only child because of his absence. But it was a lie. What they had wanted to believe for so many years – that William was a miracle of their own creation – was a falsehood. All of the pain he was in now was not his to bear. Her heart broke for him, and his pain hurt her so much more than her own.

“Mulder.” She said, her breath escaping into the cold night air. _How could she make him understand?_ “He wanted us to let him go. He wasn’t meant to be.”

“He was our son.” Mulder answered forcefully, unable to fathom her words.

“No.” She answered, her voice becoming weak in the face of his pain. How could she make him face the painful truth when he was already in the depths of despair? But she knew that’s what she needed to do in order to pull him out of this. He had to hear the truth in order to understand that he was not to blame.

“Scully, he was our son!” He shouted, frustrated and hurt.

Scully pushed herself forward, knowing that she had to go on.

“No. William was an experiment, Mulder.” She said, stepping towards him.

“What are you talking about?” He understood what she was saying, but he had no idea why she was saying it. He knew Scully had never seen William as anything other than her child. He’d watched her deal with the grief, and almost be swallowed whole by it. To say these words now, after he was gone, made no sense to him.

“He was an idea… built in a laboratory.” She muttered. The words were just as painful for her to say as they were for him to hear.

“But you were his mother.” He reasoned.

That had always been enough for him. When she had asked him all of those years ago, if he would be her sperm donor, he’d agreed. He hadn’t agreed just for her, but it was a selfish decision also. He wanted to have a family with her. He loved her, and wanted to father her children, and he would no matter how they came about. William’s origins didn’t matter as much as the fact that he belonged to Scully.

“No. I carried him, and I bore him. But I was never a mother to him. I wasn’t.” She said, her own heart breaking at the words. She could see the pain in his eyes and she wanted nothing more than to take it all away, but she couldn’t… not until she had helped him let go. But she knew she wasn’t just trying to help Mulder let go, but herself as well. She needed to hear these words spoken aloud. She needed to hear them and accept them. “William… William wasn’t”

She shook her head, and gave him a moment to understand what she was saying… That what he was truly pursuing was a dream that would never come true. William didn’t belong to them, and what he wanted was to belong to nobody.

“But all these years… I believed. What am I now if I’m not a father?” He asked, unable to face what his life had amounted to.

Mulder believed he had failed, and that in letting William go he was also accepting that he would never be able to make Scully happy. He’d tried for many years, but her grief over losing that baby never left her, or him, and he felt things would only truly be right again once they got him back. Scully and William were his family – the only thing he had left in this world. If he didn’t have them, what was left to fight for?

Scully wondered how she could tell him now, when he was in so much pain. But at the same time she wondered how she could not. She could see he had lost all hope, and yet she knew she held a tiny miracle within her that would soon become Mulder’s everything. She wished there was a way she could share her vision of their child, so that he could see her sweet face… And know that everything would be okay. Everything they had wanted all of these years would soon come to them, and the happiest years of their lives hadn’t yet begun.

“You are a father.” She said, with such a confusing mixture of pain and joy.

“What are you talking about?” He asked, dejectedly.

She reached for his hand and placed it on her belly, hoping that he would understand. Not just that she was pregnant, but that somehow he might sense her love, and warmth, and hear her laughter in his ears the way that she had.

“That’s impossible.” He said in disbelief.

“I know. I know it is.” She stuttered, beginning to cry. “It’s more than impossible.”

He couldn’t quite believe what she was saying to be true, but he saw in her eyes that she believed it. He pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her. She cried softly against his chest and he did his best to comfort her.

Minutes passed as Mulder stared out at the harbour, watching as the lights danced across the water. It seemed unfathomably peaceful for the violence it had just witnessed. He tried to block out thoughts of William floating face down in the water.

The sound of Scully’s gentle sobs filled the air around them. She still clung to him, and he would stand there for as long as she needed to be held.

_A baby?_ He thought to himself. _How could it possibly be my baby?_

But his need for answers didn’t matter right now, for she was in pain, and all he was certain of was that he wanted it to end. He placed a gentle kiss on top of her hair, hoping her tears would slow soon. 

Eventually she pulled away, and looked up at him, brushing the tears away from her face. She could see the confusion and worry on his face, and she could tell that he wanted to ask questions, but he remained silent. For that she was grateful, for she wasn’t certain that she would have any answers to give him if he were to ask.

“Let’s find Skinner and go home.” She whispered, her breath visible in the cold air.

“You don’t want to stay until…” Mulder hesitated for a moment. “He’s found.”

“Nobody is going to find him Mulder.” Said Scully, turning around to face the water. As her eyes peered out across the harbour, she almost smiled to herself. Wherever William was, he was watching her, and in his mind, he was saying “thank you” and “goodbye”. She wasn’t sure how she knew it, but she did.

She turned back to face Mulder and saw he was also watching her, but with a look of great concern on his face.

Scully reached up and slid her palm against his cheek, caressing his stubble with her thumb.

“It’s going to be okay, Mulder.” She whispered, gently.

He stared back at her for a moment and wished he could be as certain as she seemed to be.

She leant upwards and brushed her lips against his in a gentle kiss, nuzzling her nose against his cheek for a moment before pulling away. She met his eyes, so soft and gentle, and she gave him the slightest smile. It was enough to reassure him somewhat, and he nodded his head in recognition.

They left hand in hand, as William watched them disappear from a nearby boat. William knew what Scully has just done for him, and he hoped he would get a chance to thank her someday.

***

They had driven for over an hour and not spoken a word. Scully insisted on driving so that Mulder could sleep. He hadn’t slept for well over a day and Scully knew he needed rest – he was not in any condition to drive. Although he didn’t seem to be taking the opportunity to sleep very seriously. He was wide awake, and Scully could tell he was on edge.

“Would it help if I sing you a lullaby?” Scully teased, hoping to lighten his mood. She certainly didn’t expect him to be happy after what they had just been through, but he was holding back, and she wanted to let him know she was okay to talk. It was a long drive home and she knew his mind was racing. Normally she would be a sounding board when he was in this agitated state, but she suspected he was remaining silent for her benefit.

“Jeremiah was a Bullfrog, if you please?” Requested Mulder.

Scully smiled to herself, remembering all those years ago in the forest. It seemed like a different lifetime now. Her smile quickly faded when she remembered that Joy to the World was William’s favourite song. You might think that a baby couldn’t have a favourite song, but his little face lit up when she sang that song more than any other.

“What’s wrong, doc?” Mulder asked, noticing the change in her expression.

“Nothing. You don’t really want me to sing, do you?” She smiled, in an effort to reassure him.

“Hey. You made the offer.” He said casually, while staring out the passenger side window.

“I despise sounding like a female cliché, but why don’t you tell me what you’re thinking? You are obviously not going to be able to rest until you do.” Scully prodded.

“How could I possibly sleep at a time like this?” Mulder answered, sounding a little exasperated. “Besides, it seems that I’m going to have to adjust to sleepless nights pretty soon.”

Scully smiled at his first real acknowledgement of their baby.

“Well we’re both unemployed now. We’ll have a lot more time for a lot of things.” Scully hadn’t meant that sentence to come across as so suggestive, but she wasn’t sorry that it had.

“I like the sound of that.” He turned towards her with a slight smile. If she wasn’t wearing that long coat he would have reached over and put his hand on her thigh.

There was a few moments of silence and Mulder’s expression changed back to one of worry.

“You’re sure?” Mulder asked, finally willing to broach the subject.

“I’m sure.” She answered, not needing to ask what he was referring to.

“How sure?” Mulder pushed.

“I would bet my life on it.” Scully said, flatly.

“Have you been to a doctor?” He said, knowing that Scully herself was the best damn doctor that he’d ever encountered.

“I am a doctor.” She reminded him, although she knew he didn’t need reminding.

“You know what I mean, Scully. What if this isn’t what you think it is?” Said Mulder. Scully could hear the doubt in his voice.

“I understand why you feel this way. I know it’s hard to believe. It does seem impossible. I thought it was. I couldn’t bring myself to consider the possibility, even with the symptoms I’ve been experiencing.”

“This is why you’ve been so sick lately.” Mulder said, more as a statement to himself than a question to her. “But you are sure? You’ve tested?”

Scully didn’t know how to tell him about her vision. She knew he wouldn’t understand unless he experienced it himself. It was enough for Scully, but she knew Mulder would need something a lot more concrete and tangible. That was certainly a need she could relate to.

“We can pick some up once we reach DC.” She assured him.

Mulder nodded and looked away, but she knew he was far from satisfied.

“How?” He asked a moment later. “How is this possible?”

“Perhaps the same reason that William can communicate with me over such a long distance. Why he has the abilities that he does.” Ventured Scully.

“Your alien DNA. You believe it’s possible it somehow regenerated your ova?” After what he had witnessed William do in that motel room, he couldn’t doubt the power of alien DNA.

“Or William himself did, when I carried him.”

“That would mean that all of these years… Scully.” Mulder trailed off, lost in thought.

“Yes. We could have had more children. But would we have? Even if we had known? I don’t think I could have. The guilt would have been too much.” She stated, trying to keep her emotions in check.

“And now?” Mulder asked, sounding unsure. “Are you… happy?”

“Regarding the baby I am indescribably happy.” Scully said, keeping her eyes fixed on the road, for she knew if she even glanced at Mulder she would burst into tears.

If she had looked at Mulder in this moment, she would have seen that his eyes were glistening with moisture.

He was happy for her, but he was scared to believe, for fear of putting faith in another lie or half-truth. It seemed like impossible timing that he would receive this news just as everything with William had come full circle. He couldn’t help but fear that once again something terrible had been done to Scully, without her knowledge.

“And you?” Scully asked, after a minute passed without him speaking.

“I…” Mulder started, unsure of how to respond. “I honestly have no idea.”

“It’s okay. I already know this baby is going to have you wrapped around their little finger.” Scully smiled to herself.

“Hey, I can be a disciplinarian.” Mulder objected.

“Uh-huh.” She knew Mulder’s sun would rise and set with this little girl.

“I can.” He insisted, in mock outrage.

“Uh-huh.” Scully smiled skeptically at him.

***

It had just passed 3 a.m. when Scully pulled up in front of the 24-hour drugstore. They were only a half hour from home now. Much to her amazement, Mulder had finally fallen asleep from exhaustion about twenty minutes earlier. His seat was tilted back and he’d fallen asleep with his head turned towards her. It was so nice to see him like this… without pain or worry on his face, as it had appeared constantly this past month.

She didn’t have the heart to wake him and decided to run in and get the pregnancy test by herself. If she woke him up now he would only be on edge until she’d taken it. Once she got him home she could use it right away and he could start the process of acceptance. Though she knew it would probably take a sonogram or perhaps even the baby’s birth for him to believe it.

Scully certainly understood why. Surely he felt the same fear and doubt that she had experienced. But this little girl had known… somehow she’d know… and shown her that everything was going to be okay. It was incredible to think that a foetus so early in gestation could have any such awareness, but she understood through her experience with William that there was a physiological connection between her and her children that science did not yet have an explanation for. At least any science that wasn’t hidden away from the general population. Perhaps Dr. Masao Matsumoto could have shed some light, if given the chance.

She smiled at Mulder’s sleeping face, wishing she could reach out and ruffle his hair. She didn’t dare though, knowing what a light sleeper he was. It seemed as though he was always on alert, even in sleep.

She unclipped her seatbelt and opened the car door, before stepping out into the cold morning air. She tried to be as quiet as possible as she closed the door behind her, hoping she wouldn’t wake him.

A fresh wave of nausea hit her, and for a moment she leaned back against the car. Amazingly she hadn’t felt sick the whole drive home from Norfolk. The change in the air temperature from inside the car to out must have set off her morning sickness. After a few minutes she entered the store, feeling confident enough now about not vomiting on the floor. She would be in and out in a moment anyway.

She made her way to the women’s health isle and picked two different brands of pregnancy tests from the shelf. She knew they all worked the same way – by testing for human chorionic gonadotropin in the urine – and they were all pretty much guaranteed to work at two months gestation. But Mulder would likely feel more confident about the result if she used two different brands.

She paid for the items and made her way back to the car. She tried to be quiet once again and managed to climb back in without him stirring. Unfortunately upon closing the car door behind her she used a little too much force and caused a sound loud enough that Mulder’s eyes shot open. He blinked a few times before his eyes focused on her.

“Where are we?” Mulder asked, looking at his surroundings.

“Almost home. Go back to sleep.” Scully urged.

“Don’t we need to go in and get...” He asked, gesturing towards the drugstore.

“Already done.” Scully answered, tossing the plastic bag into his lap.

Mulder switched on the overhead light, pulled out the contents and examined them.

“Only two?” Mulder asked.

“That’s not enough?” Scully asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

“Not enough.” Mulder shook his head. “I’ll be right back.” He said, throwing open the passenger side door and jumping out before she had a chance to protest.

Scully quickly wound down the driver’s side window.

“Mulder they all work the same way! They are all going to say the same thing!” Scully shouted at him. Mulder turned and gave her the ok hand gesture before quickly disappearing inside.

She shook her head and smiled.

“Whatever it takes.” _s_ he whispered to herself.

He returned five minutes later carrying a bag so full that she prayed it wasn’t only full of pregnancy tests. She decided to remain silent and reserve judgement until he got back into the car and she could actually see what he had purchased. Mulder was a fan of on the road snacks and he probably hadn’t eaten for well over a day.

Once he had climbed back into the car, he placed the bag at his feet and put his seatbelt on. After a moment of silence and his avoiding Scully’s gaze he reached up for the overhead light and switched it off.

“Shouldn’t we be going now?” Mulder asked, sounding a tad too eager.

Scully didn’t answer, instead she reached above her and turned the overhead light back on.

“What’s in the bag?” She asked, eyeing him and the bag suspiciously.

“A few tests.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“Uh-huh.” Scully wasn’t going to bother asking anymore questions, Mulder was acting obviously coy. She reached over and pulled the bag up from his feet before emptying the entire bag onto his lap.

“Mulder… what?! How many pregnancy tests did you buy?!” She demanded.

“All of them.” He answered, as boxes from the huge pile slid off his lap and onto the floor.

“ _All_ of them?!” She asked incredulously. “This must have cost hundreds of dollars!” She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“I couldn’t figure out which brand was best. I panicked. I don’t know. I haven’t slept for days, Scully. You should have seen the way the checkout guy looked at me. I had to tell him that I sleep with a lot of different women and needed these a lot.” Mulder grinned at her.

“Mulder!” Scully growled, slapping him playfully on the shoulder.

“Rest assured, you are the only woman for me… my love.” Mulder reached over to take her hand, bringing it to his mouth and kissing it gently.

“Jesus, Mulder, you really _are_ sleep deprived.” She said, smiling and shaking her head at him. Despite her deflective words, she melted a little inside. If he’d said those words to her at home she’d possibly be removing her clothing now.

“This is what I’m saying here, Scully.” He answered, releasing her hand and slumping his head back against the seat. “Though I thoroughly resent your implication that I can’t be forthright about my feelings for you.”

“When have you ever?” She asks as she places the key in the ignition.

“Oh, don’t even go there, Scully.” Mulder’s eyes shot open and he turned his head to look at her.

“I’m going there.” She said with a playful yet deadpan stare.

“You want to throw down, let’s throw down, because I know for certain that I’m more romantic than you… FACTS.” Mulder pushed all of the pregnancy tests off of his lap and onto the ground.

Scully glanced at the last box as he was about to add it to the pile at his feet.

“Wait… Mulder. That one’s not even a pregnancy test – it’s an ovulation test!” Exclaimed Scully.

“Well good. Now I can find out if I’m ovulating.” Mulder said, pretending to examine the box with great interest.

“Go to sleep, Mulder.” She demanded, as she switched off the overhead light and turned the key in the ignition. Only Mulder could make her laugh after the day they’d just had.

***

It was only twenty-five minutes later that Scully pulled up beside their house. She loved this house more than any other she had ever lived in. It wasn’t something she could ever have envisioned loving when they’d first bought it. It was old and rickety and broken in places, not sleek and modern and unblemished like she was normally drawn to. But she loved it now. It was home to her.

Mulder was busy packing all of the pregnancy tests back into the plastic bag. What she really wanted to do right now was to curl up in bed and sleep until noon, but she knew she couldn’t do that to him. It would only take a few minutes.

They made their way up the porch steps, Mulder with one hand on Scully’s lower back and the other carrying the overstuffed grocery bag.

They stepped into the familiar warmth of the house and hung their coats.

“I suppose I had better grab one of these.” Scully said, leaning over and pulling a pregnancy test from the plastic bag which Mulder had sat on his desk. “Or fifty, if we want to get our money’s worth.” Scully turned around and smiled at him.

“Now?” Mulder asked, sounding surprised. “You don’t want to wait?”

Scully was shocked by the question. She had thought he would be eager to know.

“Do you want me to wait?” She asked, confused.

“No. I just… thought you’d want to rest.” In actuality he was afraid of what it might do to her at this moment if the test came back negative. As much as he wanted to know for certain, he couldn’t bear the idea of her already broken heart being trampled on. He couldn’t stand to see her in any more pain.

“We can rest after. It will only take a few minutes.” Scully assured him, searching around in the bag for the test she had chosen. She grabbed it as well as two others. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

She rushed up the stairs, leaving Mulder to deal with his anxiety. She knew the best way to deal with this was promptly. Though she suspected knowing for certain wouldn’t ease his worry, he could at least begin to process the idea that he was going to be a father. She knew that given time he would relax enough to feel happy.

***

Scully sat down on the edge of the bathtub, placing the four boxes at her feet. She opened the packs and read the instructions one by one. They were all the same, with the same result time of 2-5 minutes. The only difference was in the design. Two of them had double lines – two lines indicating pregnancy. The next was the same idea except that the lines formed a cross. The last – which she had chosen – was a more expensive digital test which displayed the word “pregnant” if it was positive, with an estimate of how many weeks gestation based on the hormone level. Though she knew it was probably unreliable in terms of accuracy, she hoped that it would tell her she was eight weeks pregnant.

She took a towel and placed it on the floor and lined the unboxed tests up in a row of four. Her heart was beginning to beat faster. Though she was sure of the result, she couldn’t deny the small amount of fear that was creeping up inside her. The little voice that was telling her this was somehow all a ruse. Perhaps she was still in a coma and this was all some bizarre dream? Or the stress of thinking she had lost William five weeks ago had caused some mental breakdown.

She denounced her fears and grabbed one of the small plastic cups that came with one of the tests. She sat down on the toilet and filled the cup, only half-way, but still more than enough for all four tests. She placed the cup down on the middle of the towel before washing her hands. As she was drying them, she heard a knock at the door.

“Scully? Everything okay?” Mulder asked. Scully could hear the concern in his voice. He was imagining her curled up on the bathroom floor and crying. Scully was strong, but after the day they had just had he knew there was a terrible aftermath still to come.

“Yes, I’m fine, Mulder.” Scully called. “You can come in.”

Scully was lowering herself down onto the large towel as Mulder opened the door and peeked his head inside. Scully turned around from where she was sitting to look at him.

“I haven’t taken them yet.” She told him.

“You want me to wait outside?” He asked.

“No. Come sit down. These tests are for you. I already know what they are going to say.”

Mulder looked reluctant and nervous, but he entered anyway. He slipped off his shoes, as she had done and took his place opposite Scully. He sat cross legged in front of her, tests lined up between them.

“Two for you and two for me?” Scully offered.

“What do I do?” He asked.

“Dip the tips into the cup for five seconds, then it takes two to five minutes to see the result.”

“What if I do it wrong?” Mulder asked, unsure. It was so unlike him to be so nervous.

“Well if you somehow manage to dip the tests into my pee wrong, we have about fifty more tests waiting downstairs for you to get it right.” She smirked. Mulder gave her a slight smile.

“Let me get the timer ready.” Said Scully. She reached for her phone and set it for five minutes, knowing they would probably be the longest five minutes of Mulder’s life.

She sat the phone down beside her and picked up the digital test as well as one of the double line tests.

“This digital one takes twenty seconds of immersion, so I’ll do it last.” Scully explained. Mulder nodded and picked up the two remaining tests, studying them closely.

“Are you ready?” Scully asked.

“Definitely not, but let’s do it anyway.” Mulder answered.

Scully dipped the double line test into the cup for 5 seconds and placed it back on the towel.

She gestured to Mulder to go next, and you would have thought by the way proceeded with such seriousness and concentration, that he was dismantling a bomb.

“Are you that disturbed by my urine?” She asked, pressing start on the timer.

“Hey, this is serious business. I’m doing a urine test for… what was it again?”

“Human chorionic gonadotropin.”

“Yeah, that. I’m practically a doctor here, Scully.” He said, smiling and putting the second of his tests onto the towel.

It was good to see him smile.

Scully took her digital test and remained silent for twenty seconds, while she counted. She placed it down, refusing to let her eyes glance at the other tests just yet. They were probably already beginning to show results. At eight weeks pregnant her hormone levels would likely show up very quickly. She picked up the cup and emptied the remains into the toilet before discarding the cup into the nearby waste basket. She washed her hands under the faucet again, taking more time than needed.

As she dried her hands she looked down at Mulder, who didn’t seem to know where to look so stared at the old bathtub looking noticeably uncomfortable.

“Mulder?” Scully said, beckoning him to look in her direction.

“Mm?” He replied.

“It’s going to be okay.”

Mulder nodded and swallowed hard.

Scully walked over and sat on the ground beside him. Sensing that she wanted to be close, Mulder reached out and took her hand into his own. Their eyes met and Mulder’s worried expression softened.

“You’re beautiful.” Said Mulder, without a hint of insincerity.

Scully smiled and leant in to kiss him. She only wanted to reassure him that everything was okay, but found once she had met his lips, that she wanted more than gentle comfort. Her tongue teased and felt its way through his lips, longing to feel the warmth there. She freed her hand and it instinctively trailed to his inner thigh, her fingertips pressing into the fabric of his jeans. Mulder reluctantly pulled away from her.

“It’s like four in the morning Scully and I have slept about half an hour in the past two days. What are you doing to me?” He demanded with an exhausted smile.

Just as she smiled back the alarm went off.

“Distracting you.” She answered, ruffling his hair and kissing him again.

“Ah. Thank you. Please feel free to distract me again tomorrow, after I’ve had a solid eight hours.”

“Get it together, old man.” She says, swatting his leg and moving away to grab her phone. She swiftly turned off the alarm.

Her heart was beating even faster now. She was excited to see his reaction, but told herself not to expect anything of him. However he was to respond when seeing the positive tests, it was the right response. It was justified that he would be scared, apprehensive… it in no way meant that he didn’t want this baby. She didn’t expect to have that picture perfect moment, nor did she need it. She just needed him to see, and to accept the truth.

“Go ahead, Mulder.” Scully said, gesturing towards the row of tests.

“Me? You want me to?” Mulder asked, shocked.

“You bought them. But why don’t you check mine first?” Said Scully. “It will tell you in words, what the result is.”

“You’re sure?” Mulder seemed to be hoping that Scully would change her mind.

“I’m absolutely certain.” Scully sounded like she was referring to more than just the test.

“Okay.” Answered Mulder moving a few feet forward. He hesitated for another moment before he forced himself to act. He grabbed the large, blue, digital test and held it up close to his face.

“Scully, I’m so sorry.” Said Mulder, sounding crestfallen.

“What?” She asked, her heart sinking. There was a moment of panic before he spoke again.

“I can’t read this. I don’t have my glasses.” He said.

“Are you kidding me right now?” She asked, exasperated.

“Yes, actually. It’s positive.” He said, grinning.

“What?” She asked. Scully looked stunned.

“You’re pregnant.” He reiterated, with a huge smile on his face.

Scully almost started to cry. She could punch him, but she was so happy. She moved forward to look at the other three tests. She glanced over them and saw two lines on all of them, and then picked them up one at a time to look more closely. Mulder watched the expression of joy on her face as she looked at each one. He was holding back tears.

“How could you just do that?” She demanded, as she crawled towards him and grabbed the digital test from his hands. She could see that is said six to eight weeks pregnant, as she had hoped it would.

“Hey! You called me an old man!” He smirked. Scully could see the joy in his eyes as he laid backwards onto the bathroom floor. He was exhausted but so unfathomably glad. It was easy to worry, but seeing her so happy made it hard to believe this could be anything but a good thing. He wanted this for her. He wanted this for himself too, but his own wants were a distant afterthought.

Scully wiped the tears away from her eyes and put the tests to the side. She got up on her hands and knees and crept towards Mulder, parting her legs so they straddled both sides of him. She crawled along his body and collapsed on top of him.

“I could kill you right now.” She said, propping herself up on his chest to look down at him. “I could kill you with my bare hands.”

Mulder arched one of his arms behind him to support his head. He brought his other hand up to brush her hair behind her ear.

“I’m sorry.” He smiled at her lovingly. “Too far?”

“No. Too far was that time you came back from the dead and pretended not to recognise me.” Said Scully.

“In my defence, I didn’t know I had been dead. So comparably this was probably worse.” Mulder pointed out.

“What are you doing?” She shakes her head at him, not able to wipe the smile from her face long enough to convey any level of frustration.

“I don’t know, Scully. I just know that I’m tired… and happy… and I love you.” He said, staring up at her.

She makes no effort to hide her tears as she kisses him, in fact they fall straight from her eyes and roll down his cheeks. She rests her head on his chest and he strokes his fingers up and down her back in a slow and gentle rhythm.

“You’re going to love her too.” Said Scully, smiling to herself. In her mind’s eye, she can see the two of them playing together.

“Her?” Croaks Mulder. “It’s a girl?”

Scully lifts her head back up to look at him.

“Yes. Your girl.” She said, hovering above him and gazing into his eyes.

Scully could see the wave of doubt wash briefly over his face.

“I know she’s yours, Mulder.” She insists.

She wants him to understand that this is real and that he doesn’t have to be afraid to love this child.

“How?” Asked Mulder, pulling her closer against him with his free arm.

“Because she has your eyes… Or she will.” Explained Scully. “And one sunny day she’s going to ask you for a rainbow umbrella, and you are going to buy it for her, even though there’s no chance of rain.”

“You had a vision? That’s how you knew?” Mulder said, the realisation suddenly hitting him.

“She’s special, Mulder. But she’s ours. Just ours.” Though she was just making a statement, it sounded as if she was promising him something.

Mulder gives her a faint smile, and she can see in his eyes, the first glimmers of belief.

***

Scully stands back and watches it all unfold before her eyes, like a movie she has seen before, except this is real life.

The day is warm and sunny as the three of them walk through the public gardens together. Mulder holds one of her little hands and Scully holds the other – just as they have done for years now. At three-and-a-half years old she can walk just fine on her own, but they hold onto her regardless. They wander through the flower gardens and Maggie points out which ones are her favourite. They stop and spread out a blue blanket on the ground, climbing onto it and resting as Maggie runs around them playing and searching for bugs.

“Daddy?” Maggie pipes up, tugging on the hem of Mulder’s shirt.

“Yes?” Mulder asks, turning his attention away from Scully mid-conversation and to the small child by his side.

“Why does the man have an umbrella? It’s not raining.” Her little hand points to a man quite a distance away, but the bright colours of the umbrella he is twirling were enough to capture her attention.

“Sometimes people like to use an umbrella for the sun, so the sun doesn’t hurt their skin.” He answers.

Mulder suspected the man was selling them, but he intentionally left that part out.

“How does the sun hurt skin?” She asks, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

She was endlessly curious, and though her questions could sometimes be tiring, one of them at any given time always had the patience and energy to answer her. Mulder especially wasn’t one to fault someone for being curious, and suspected it was a hereditary trait and not something she was going to grow out of as most three-year-olds do.

“Sunlight has something called UV rays, which can go deep into your skin and damage it. It’s invisible, so you can’t see when it’s hurting you. If you get hurt lots and lots of times then you can get very sick.” Says Scully. “But that usually doesn’t happen until you are old.” She adds in an attempt to assure the little girl she isn’t in any danger. It was sometimes hard to know how to explain the world in terms a three-year-old would understand.

“People with really light skin need extra protection.” Mulder adds.

“Especially if you have red hair. People with red hair get skin damage more easily. That’s why you have to wear sunscreen every day before we leave home – so the sun can’t hurt you.” Explains Scully.

“Oh no. Mommy needs to have an umbrella!” She says, sounding alarmed. “She’s old and has red hair!”

Mulder stifles a laugh but doesn’t even try to hide the amusement on his face. Scully shoots him a _“shut up, Mulder”_ look, because she can’t say it audibly in front of their child.

“I don’t want Mommy to get sick.” He sounds truly concerned, and Mulder and Scully can tell from her tone that it could soon elevate into tears.

“Oh no, baby. I’m not going to get sick. I have lots of protection. Lots of sunscreen, and you see these long sleeves?” Scully said, tugging at the cuff of her pale peach, long-sleeved blouse. “And long pants.” She says, shifting and spreading her legs out in front of her, pointing to her light-wash jeans. “That’s the best protection, because the UV rays can’t get through the clothes.”

“But what about the holes? Can they get through the holes?” Maggie says, pointing to the slashes in her jeans, that someone decided should come back in style in 2022.

“No. They can’t get through the holes.” Scully lies. The small girl looks doubtful and Scully looks to Mulder for help.

“Maggie, you wanna know something?” Mulder asks, lowering his head down toward her.

“What?” She responds, her red curls spinning as she turns to look at him.

“A long, long time ago Mommy did get sick.” Mulder pauses briefly to make eye contact with Scully, to make sure she is okay with him continuing. After she gives a weak smile of approval he continues. “Actually, she got really, really sick. So sick that Daddy was scared she would never get better. And you know what happened?” Asks Mulder.

“What?” Asks Maggie, listening with a closeness that was rare for a three-year-old, but not rare for Maggie.

“She got better.” Mulder smiled at her. “Mommy is really strong… way stronger than me. I bet she could even walk through fire. So you don’t have to worry about the sun hurting her. If it did, she would get up and kick the sun’s ass.”

Maggie giggles at the fact her father used a bad word and Mulder can tell the child has been appeased.

Mulder pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose and looks over at Scully. She’s telling him that she loves him. Wordlessly… with the look in her eyes… but he hears it just as clearly as if she’d spoken the words. She’s told him this way a thousand times over the years. Sometimes he wonders if she hasn’t looked at him like that in other lifetimes.

“Hey, Mags. You wanna go for a walk with me?”

“Yeah!” She says, bouncing on her knees excitedly.

Mulder climbs to his feet – a bit slower than he used to. He takes the little girls hand and smiles down at Scully, who stretches out on the blanket.

“We’ll be back soon.” He grins.

Scully doesn’t ask where he going. She already knows. She’s seen this day before.

***

“Which ones do you think Mommy would like?” Mulder asks, crouching down beside Maggie and pulling a few daisies from the garden.

“But Mommy said no picking flowers.” The little girl looks confused as Mulder places the flowers in her hand.

“Sometimes it’s okay to break the rules, if it is to do something nice for somebody else.” Mulder tells her. “And you know what? We aren’t going to take any of the special flowers.

Mulder stands up straight and picks the small girl up. He points at the distant flowerbeds and all of their beautiful colours.

“See, a lot of those flowers will be gone soon, because they only bloom for a little while in spring. That’s why everyone comes here to see them, because they don’t last long.” Mulder places her back down on the ground. “But these flowers.” He continues, pointing to the daisies in her hand. “They bloom for months, and even in summer, when it’s too hot for a lot flowers.”

“Oh. They are strong like Mommy.” She says, touching the soft, white petals.

“Yeah, they are.” Mulder says, marvelling at her poignant observation. “All of the flowers in this bed are called wildflowers. That means they grow in the wild without anyone planting them. But maybe we can grow some at home.”

“Yeah. Then Mommy can have flowers all the time.” She says.

“I think she’d like that. She really likes these flowers. She told me a long time ago.”

A long time ago was an understatement. Try 1994 as they were driving from some location to another. He was a different man then, but he was smart enough to listen when they passed a field of daisies and she said she loved them in spite of them being labelled as weeds.

Back in 1997, after Emily had passed, he’d left a bouquet of daisies outside the door of her apartment. He’d knocked, but she did not answer, even though he knew she was on the other side of the door. She had been too afraid to let him in back then.

There was an old Celtic legend that said that daisies sprung from the souls of infants who had died at birth. It was said that God sprinkled the Earth with daisies to cheer up the parents. That’s what he had thought of as he placed them on the floor, wondering how flowers could possibly make up for the loss of a child.

“I like this one.” Says Maggie, pulling another flower from the garden.

Mulder smiles as he looks at her. It occurs to Mulder that she is the same age that Emily was when she’d died. He would have done anything to keep that little girl alive. He would have done anything so that Scully could have the child she so desperately wanted, regardless of whether or not he got to be the father. But it’s only now that he has his own little girl that he can truly fathom the pain she had endured.

“I think that should just about do it.” Says Mulder, squeezing a few last stems into the little girl’s hands.

“My pants got dirty.” She says, holding the flowers away from her and looking down at her blue jeans.

Mulder glances her over. Her pink t-shirt and denim-look overshirt also had smudges. He dusts her clothes off with his hands, as best he can.

“When are you ever clean? Hey?” Says Mulder, tickling her playfully in the belly. She retreats from him with happy giggles.

“Look, Daddy, the man with the umbrella!” She says, but she’s wise enough not to take her hands off of the bouquet to point him out.

The man walked along a nearby path, twirling the umbrella with one hand as he walked. As Mulder had suspected, his other hand grasped onto a small cart that trailed on castors. Mulder wondered how a person could make a living selling umbrellas when there was no rain. Although that was probably less of a problem with DC weather. He couldn’t guess how many umbrellas he’d bought and lost over the years.

“Come on. Let’s go have a look.” Mulder says, ushering her along. “You okay holding those flowers?”

The little girl nods as she trails along beside him.

“Hello there. How are you folks doing today?” Umbrella Man asks, eyeing off his two potential customers.

“We’re doing great, thank you.” Answers Mulder.

“What you got there, little lady? Daisies?” The man says, crouching down in front of Maggie and twirling the umbrella in a swirl of colours.

“They’re for my Mommy.” She answers, sweetly.

“Oh, isn’t that nice? I bet she’ll love them. Do you think your mommy would like an umbrella?” The man asks. Mulder could roll his eyes at the sales pitch.

“Yes. She’s old and has red hair.” She tells him.

Mulder chuckles to himself at the look of confusion on Umbrella Man’s face. The awkward pause made it clear that he didn’t know how to respond.

“Can we get one for Mommy?” Maggie asks. “Please, Daddy?”

“Sure.” Mulder happily agreed, since that had been his intent when approaching the man. “How much?” Mulder asks, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet.

“$20 each or 2 for $30.” Says Umbrella Man, as he reaches into his cart to pull out several different varieties of umbrella. In a flash, he’s opened three of them for display. “What colour would your mommy like?” The man asks Maggie, with a cheesy grin.

Next to the rainbow umbrella now sits black, burgundy and bright blue.

“Rainbow.” She answers confidently.

Mulder smiles to himself, knowing that she’d almost certainly choose burgundy if given the option to buy for herself. Though she had embraced a lot more colour in her life since Maggie was born, rainbow colours didn’t quite scream “Dana Scully”.

“I had a feeling you were gonna say that.” The man said, smiling and pulling a rainbow umbrella out of his cart. He proceeded to hand it to Mulder – Maggie’s hands being already occupied by flowers. He had a feeling it would be much too big and awkward for her little muscles to hold up anyway.

“I’ll take the burgundy as well.” Says Mulder, as he hands the man the cash.

The man nods and brings Mulder his change and the second umbrella.

“You folks have a nice day.” He says cheerfully.

***

Scully smiles to herself as she stares up at the sky. She wonders why her unborn baby had chosen to show her this day, of all days. They’d had many beautiful, perfect days together, what made this one more special than the rest? Though she knows it wasn’t a conscious decision on Maggie’s part, of course. It was the product of the symbiosis between mother and child.

Perhaps that vision was Maggie’s first moments of consciousness, and she was announcing her existence to her mother. Scully could see how it would benefit a species to be able to form such an intense bond with an offspring before it is born. She knew that human women had maternal instincts, but what she experienced with her children went well beyond that.

Scully sits up as she feels them approaching.

That day in the bathroom, all those years ago, she had felt Maggie… and she feels her still. Just as her connection with William began with that first vision and remains now. Only her connection with her little girl is so much stronger. Perhaps because she is young and vulnerable and needs the care and protection of her mother. With Maggie she can sense her approach, or departure – there’s an invisible thread that ties them together. Scully feels her like the force of gravity, and she believes that no matter the distance that separated them, she could find her.

Since Maggie’s birth, Scully still had moments where she could sense the future. Rarely she’d seen pictures, but mostly she experienced warnings in the way of feelings. If Maggie was about to come to any physical harm, she felt it in the minutes or seconds beforehand. Often with enough time to prevent the injury, but sometimes not. From an evolutionary point she could see how this precognitive gift and connection between parent and offspring was a great advancement.

As they come into view Scully can’t help but smile. Mulder holds a rainbow umbrella over his shoulder, twirling it around. Maggie walks beside him, bouquet of daisies in hand. Just like the ones Mulder had once left outside her door as she sat silently crying on the other side, wishing she had the strength to open the door and let him in.

She was so afraid to love back then. So afraid to let him love her. But in the end, she realised she didn’t really have a choice. They’d fallen in love with those first words. It only deepened with every look, every conversation and every shared trauma. It was only going to grow until it became something so insurmountable it could no longer be contested or denied. Being with him now felt as effortless as breathing.

Scully runs her fingertips along the white-gold band on her ring finger and smiles.

Maggie is running now – too eager to wait to surprise her mother. Scully won’t be surprised, not in the least – but she will pretend. Scully will smile and kiss her and say thank you before lifting her up in the air above her and kissing her some more.

She’ll kiss Mulder too – tonight – in many different places and in a much different way.

“Do you like it, Mommy?” Asks Maggie, excitedly, as she sits in Scully’s lap. “It’s rainbow!”

Mulder smiles and places the umbrella on the blanket.

“I love it.” Says Scully, kissing her on the cheek and giving her a squeeze. “Thank you.”

Mulder sits down beside them, his glasses slipping down as he does. Scully readjusts them on his face, smiling at him and trailing her fingers briefly through his hair.

“Here, we got you this one too.” Mulder says, handing her a burgundy coloured umbrella that was much more her taste. “Because you are old, with red hair.”

He smirks. She slaps him on the arm. He knows his only recourse is to lean in and kiss her so she can’t be mad, and that’s exactly what he does.


	2. Companion Vid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the companion vid for Rainbow Umbrella. I hope you enjoy it. It fills my shipper heart.
> 
> https://youtu.be/PNp5vGcI5_k


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